General Course Administration Information

Empowering Pilot Safety: ALPA’s Commitment to Training and Leadership

"Schedule with Safety" has been the ALPA motto since the birth of our Association in 1931. Pilot safety, security, pilot assistance, and jumpseat volunteers are at the heart of our ability to influence the government, management, and industry to follow the lead of ALPA in working toward the safest air transportation system possible. Training our volunteers is the best investment we can make to ensure that our profession is represented in all aspects of the air transportation industry. The ASO training courses available to our pilot volunteers are the finest we have ever offered, and through the dedicated work of our safety leaders, this dynamic aspect of representing our members continues to increase its effectiveness.

The well-trained ASO volunteers provide our most effective influence in reducing the hazards that exist within the air transportation industry. Over the years, these members have literally rewritten the history of aviation safety. Our volunteers will continue to be confident and effective when they are equipped with the solid knowledge and clear leadership that comes from our ALPA safety training courses.

ASO training programs are developed and administered specifically to enhance the effectiveness of pilot representatives within the Air Line Pilots Association, International.

MEC Safety/Security/Pilot Assistance/Jumpseat Committee Chairs may invite individuals who are not Association members to attend ALPA ASO training courses. These individuals should be representatives from management, government, industry, employee groups, or other individuals directly related to aviation safety or flight operations. Associated travel expenses for these attendees are not the responsibility of ALPA, and course fees are applicable to each course. Please contact Petra.Duran-Smith@alpa.org to start the approval process for non-ALPA attendees.

Scheduling

ALPA policy requires that prior to attending any ASO training course, you must obtain the approval of the chair of your Master Executive Council (MEC) Central Air Safety, Security, Jumpseat, or Pilot Assistance Committee, or your MEC chair, as appropriate. Additionally, the training courses are designed to be taken in sequence; therefore, they may require completing a prerequisite training program(s). By submitting your registration, you verify that you have:

Received the necessary MEC approval for you to attend the course, and
Have met the course’s prerequisites.

Changes to Course Content

Revisions or additions to the agendas or curricula of ALPA safety volunteer training courses are made at the discretion of the Course Director, with the concurrence of the Training Programs Coordinator and the chairs of the appropriate committees (AIB = AI1&AI2; Safety Council = ALPA 101 FAST, Safety 101 IST, Security 101; and also Aviation Security = Security 101).).

Parties not directly associated with the course in question may recommend changes to agendas or curricula by observing the following protocol:

A written proposal with justification will be presented to the Training Programs Coordinator, Course Director, or Chair of the appropriate committee.
The Training Programs Coordinator will coordinate with all interested parties to thoroughly discuss all aspects of the proposal.
A detailed plan of implementation must be approved by the Training Programs Coordinator, the Course Director, and the Chair of the appropriate committee before changes are incorporated.
Appropriate lead time must be considered to allow ALPA staff to provide the required support associated with any changes.

Non-ALPA Pilot Groups

Use of ALPA training resources by IFALPA and non-ALPA pilot groups is authorized by using the following procedure:

IFALPA

The president of the requesting organization should send a letter to the ALPA president, requesting authorization to participate in a specific course for specific individuals. Participation by non-ALPA members should result in no expense to the Association.

Other Non-ALPA Attendees

Please email Petra.Duran-Smith@alpa.org to start the approval process. In your email, please include the requested course, dates, name, organization, email address, and phone number.

Expenses

Expenses, including flight pay loss, for those members being trained must be authorized from the respective MEC Safety/Security/Pilot Assistance/Jumpseat Committee budget. Typical expenses that you should consider for your budget include:

Approximately $220 per night for hotel expenses. (Include the night before the course and one night for each day of the course.)
A maximum of $75.00 per day for food.
If required, Flight Pay Loss (FPL) for each day of the course, including at least one, and possibly two, travel days.